Becoming an active outdoor grower pt. 1

South Fulton Arts Center garden, College Park, GA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With the changing social and environmental climates, not to mention the isolation imposed by COVID, more folks are turning to outdoor activities to gain or maintain healthier lives. i lived in Atlanta, Georgia for 4 years and within my last 3 months of living there i encountered the metro area’s gardening culture! Sure, there’s plenty of greenscapes throughout Georgia (like the Bonsai Monastery in Conyers. i had the most peaceful times meditating there and i highly recommend a visit!)...

Still, what i was more interested in cultivating was 1 talent that i could carry from ATL to anywhere i would travel next. 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 Enter the world of Urban Growing! Or “urb-ag” (urban agriculture) as i like to call it.

Friends introduced me to an inspiring group of young growers called Atlanta Earth Co. They create these sort of “pop up” gardens all around Atlanta’s historic Westside.

Another group i farmed with, Soul Spirit Farmers, practiced similar growing techniques. Brother Holmes, a brilliant resource to urb-ag, led our group of volunteer gardeners every Wednesday. Many plants grew abundantly in his front yard!

Brother Holmes’ home garden

We seeded over 100 marigold, hyssop and other herbs in under 1 hour!

The work i shared and knowledge i gained with these urb-ag groups has catapulted my new drive for home growing.

Overall, i appreciated each opportunity to learn the invaluable skill of urban agriculture. Atlanta brought me to a lot of great people and resources that i will cherish forever. Now... my own home growing adventure begins! Going vegan and growing my own food are the first step i’ve taken in living as one with nature.

my first backyard raised bed EVER, St. Louis County, MO